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[mrsgoggins]

25ish with a Waltron 1+1 set. Boat was "Scirocco" from MAP plan powered by my design of 49 glow motor.
Great fun.

[GAZOU]

 

Here we are, I did not remember any more the mark), it was one MAC GREGOR

[chas]

Age 12, kit built mac gregor carrier wave tx &rx, all valve and high voltage. Wouldn't put it in a plane, this was radio effected modeling, not radio control so took to boats. Aerokits sea rover and M.E Snipe diesel.
  Moved on to a build from rcm&e magazine. Simpletone &supertone with kinematic actuator. Still got it and working. Huge diference in relative costs with today. The first tx &rx kits cost more than an average weeks wage, and months of pocket money, lawn cutting and papers delivered for me. We all seemed to have more actual fun in those days. People built more and worried less about gizmos. I must be getting old!
Charlie.

[Time Bandit]

At the age of 9, with some small balsa gliders.
My first boat I believe I build at the age of 11 or 12. It was a Tön 12 from Graupner and is still able to run and wasn´t selled like lots of other models I built during the years.
My first Tx I think was a Graupner 6014 which is also still living.

[Corposant]

About 37. Had made a scratch built model boat for youngest son and bought a Maplin's 27 MHz kit. It had a range of about 20ft! So it never did get installed in the boat. (As a boy I built a miniature valve radio described in Practical Mechanics - that didn't work either!) It seems I'm not cut out for electronics 

Mike

[maraval]

in my 60s  about 3 years ago.i turned up as a new chum with a free running yacht i had built. i got sick of chasing it around the pond so installed steering only run on an attack 2channel on 27 megs.  im still sailing but have also since built a 1:50th scale coaster plus 2 or 3 other boats. all  still running on the trusty old attack !!

[Bob K]

I started static model making around 1960 when RC units were expensive, usually build yourself, single channel and came in a tin box.  I could not afford one.  By 1964 I was into custom built slot car racing which was at least a form of remote control.  In fact, I remember my pre 1960 Hornby felt like Sci-Fy after their key wound predecessors.

My first foray into real RC was only three years ago after a lengthy period of non modelling. I took up boats and my trusty Planet T5.

[morley bill 1]

32 years old it was a 27meg acoms two channel set for a raf crash tender that I had built ten years earlier but could/nt afford  the radio my two sons sent it to each other across the lake powered by two U2 batteries.....regards Bill.....
 

[Bowwave]

Interesting one this , My first R/c  at the age of 7  was a second hand  ground based    Triang model of a Union Castle Boat  bought by my father  back in 1957, from then on it was all down hill,  happy days 
Bowwave

[Stavros]

Around 15yrs ago couldnt afford a Bait Boat so I built one then got into the Boaty things as I used to call them.....1st Rc boat was a  Battered Sea Queen which was bought off Ebay....How Dad laughed bless his soul when it arrived and it fell apart when I dropped it on the lounge floor,I can hear him saying it now.....HUH with YOUR wood working skills it will end up as fire wood.....How wrong he was it's still going strong.
 
Dave

[radiojoe]

My first dabblings into R/C was when I was around 24 I build the Graupner Optimist yacht, if anyone remembers it, it was a nice kit and you had to buy the fittings and cast iron keel separately, the R/C I used was very basic, a Mc Gregor one plus one, an aluminium box with one stick and a button that altered the servo with each press in a cycle, she was my pride and joy at that time, Happy days.
Joe

[MLT44]

Hi all
        In the 80s bought Acom diy kit & a Maplin pwm kit, the model was a Yarra tug, l think that's why I'm bald now, but it was great fun, and my pride and joy.
     Regards Dave.

[Antipodean]

Hey folks,
19 years old in the RNZAF with a Tamiya Monster Beetle and a 4wd Boomerang, followed a few years later by a modified Plaudit from MMB plans. All used 2 channel Futaba gear.

[Plastic - RIP]

I got into RC models in the late 70's. I had a couple of friends with rich parents so they always had the latest stuff that I could only dream of.
 
I had to be more resourceful to keep up so that meant designing and building my own models (couldn't afford kits) and making Frankenstien radio sets from knackered 2-channel Acoms units that they had discarded (2 or 3 transmitter boards in the same box with multiple receivers - I had 6 channels!) 
 
I got back into it all about 10 years ago when I found that nothing had gone up in price for 25 years - now it was all pocket-money prices. 

[meechingman]

I was in my late 30s, when I bought a small sailing yacht based on 'Australia 2'. Then went to tugs with a Southampton RTR a few years later. Then two 'semi-wrecks' from eBay that were rebuilt. My son was never into boats, so we went with RC cars for him, but my grandson will get the Southampton when he's old enough to appreciate it.

[tr7v8]

The first phase of R/C was at 1970 so 13 years old with McGregor single channel super regen kit, this was bought from Roland Scott s/h for around £10! I tried various aircraft & then put it in a home designed flattie boat. Ex-WD motor. I converted the TX to pulse proportional with a stick & it sailed for a while like that. I then went back to control line aircraft.
Then later when I was about 25 & earning cash I bought a McGregor Digimac 3 & that went into the recycled flattie with the new Ni-cads & a mechanical speed controller. I think the motor was now a 540 type. This was ballistically quick & also unstable.
Then I converted a Lindberg PT109 and I have been involved ever since, with peaks & troughs of interest.

[spearfish99]

About 19, with a Starlet yacht (which I still have some 40+ years later) with a MacGregor Codamac on bang bang rudder and a button giving winch in, stop and out.

 Later swapped this radio for a super Horizon 2 channel proportional set made fairly local to me , with two sets of crystals built in to both Tx and Rx to allow easy switching over. Remember, only 6 channels available at any one time then!

[Neil]

28 in 1979 with a futaba 6 channel and a Rau 1X..........would love another Rau 1x just to pee off the PC brigade, lol

[me3]

I Was about 12 when I got my first 'proper model' a Robbe Najade, since then, I have built a small fleet of 4 boats. I am only 17 now, there aren't many people my age who appreciate models! 

[Neil]

I Was about 12 when I got my first 'proper model' a Robbe Najade, since then, I have built a small fleet of 4 boats. I am only 17 now, there aren't many people my age who appreciate models! 

and it's great to see such a young man these days who does....................was discussing this exact scenario with Dave Metcalf at Blackpool show a couple of weeks ago, and we both wonder where the hobby will eventually be if a generation of young people disappear.............all we'll see are old crocks in zimmer chairs down the pool side, wistfully waiting for someone to plop our boats into the lake for us, ....keep at it young man............you have my greatest respect and encouragement.

neil.........nearly an old crock, but not quite.......can still put my own boat in the water..........just.

[me3]

Completely agree - I find the hobby gets passed off as 'sad', there aren't even any decent lakes to use models around here, other than Poole Park but the yachties don't like motorboats using it! I will keep at it, always thinking of my next project, another petrol is in the pipeline at the moment and hopefully a tug! I would thank this forum for the inspiration to get going and build them.  Just got a car and an apprenticeship so will hopefully coming to some shows soon - just missed out on Blackpool

[triumphjon]

i started sometime in the lates 70s after seeing a family freind with his ic powered 46" fairey huntsman , dad came home with an old hull which re rebiult when time allowed , i had to save pocket money / birthday money for the radio a futaba medallion 2 ch  27 mhz set . not being able to use the boat when i wanted to i got a model car , a kyosho elec peanuts . ive been modelling with both cars /trucks and boats ever since !

[boman]

I started playing with RC, in the mid 1980s.First car was an unknown brand that slowly disintegrated under constant abuse. This was reborn into the drive and propulsion for a Ro ro barge, which I still own. And is in the middle of a huge expensive rebuild.

 First car was 1991 Tamiya Celica Ta01, which I still own, although the body is a tad beaten up.

I have a couple of boats, A couple of cars x3 and a Scania truck and trailer.

All gathering dust, instead of being played with.

[Netleyned]

All gathering dust, instead of being played with.

Shame on you Sir 
At least get the boats wet 


Ned

[McGherkin]

I think I was born with a radio in my hand - I blame my grandfather for that!

I always used to help my grandfather build and drive his boats.

Still, I'm happy to wave the RC flag for the 'yoofs' - 21 and digging into my Tamar. (Albeit after a period of inactivity due to various external influences)

It's a shame that a lot of people are into 'RTR' RC these days - not many people go to the effort of building an accurate scale model when they can just pay £300 and have a 40mph race boat delivered to their door.